After 12 years of super iteration, can the BMW iX live up to expectations?

Author | Wu Wenliang

It is no exaggeration to say that in the domestic luxury car sector, the three BBA brands have no "capable" rivals. But in the field of new energy vehicles, it is a different story - Tesla is rising rapidly, and many new car-making forces are following closely behind.

Under the pressure of the general trend, if BMW clings to traditional automobile performance, it is obviously not in line with its long-term development vision. Moreover, BMW fans have always been full of resentment because the i3 and i8 models have no successors 12 years after their release.

Fortunately, the German giant has not stopped iterating its electric technology.

On November 11, the national shopping festival, BMW officially launched the i brand's new pure electric SUV iNEXT production model iX at its NEXT GEN Future Summit .

As BMW's true flagship electric product, the iX integrates BMW's thinking in the fields of electrification, interconnection, intelligence and sustainable development. At the same time, this car also represents the development direction of BMW's future models to a certain extent.

Although the entire press conference lasted less than 10 minutes in reality, a lot of information was released in these few short minutes.

As BMW's technological flagship, the iX can be said to be a benchmark for the German giant's future product line. Many of its technologies and functions, such as drive systems and interactive interfaces, will surely be transferred to other BMW electric models. In addition, the iX is also BMW's first product equipped with fifth-generation electric vehicle technology. In the future, the platform will be adapted to different body sizes and uses.

Next, let’s take a look at what’s different about this car.

From the appearance point of view, the iX is a medium-to-large pure electric luxury SUV, and it adopts a new design language. According to Adrian Van Hooydonk, BMW's design director, the length and width of the iX are close to the X5, the height is close to the X6, and the wheel size is close to the X7, but it no longer continues the previous i series' all-carbon fiber structure.

At the same time, iX is also BMW's first SAV model equipped with frameless doors, and the handlebars are also designed to be embedded. The one-piece roof combined with the fastback shape, plus the new generation of aerodynamic wheels, has a drag coefficient as low as 0.25, which is the lowest among cars of the same class.

The iX's headlights are unprecedented in the family, and they are also the slimmest headlights in BMW's history. The rear of the car is also equipped with a narrow taillight shape.

More importantly, the iX has made all-round innovations in electronic and electrical architecture, autonomous driving functions, and interior, and is also the BMW Group's first model to adopt 5G technology.

As a newly designed and developed pure electric vehicle by BMW, the iX is equipped with the fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system. It has a range of more than 600 kilometers under the WTLP standard (approximately equal to NEDC 650 kilometers). The dual-motor drive system can bring a maximum output power of more than 370kW, accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers in less than 5 seconds, and have an energy consumption of less than 21kWh per 100 kilometers.

In addition to the iX, BMW's fifth-generation electric technology will also be available in the i4 sedan (with a design language similar to the iX) and the previously released iX3. Most importantly, the new electric series is no longer as advanced as the previous i series, but is determined to make a splash in the market.

In addition, at the press conference, BMW did not disclose the capacity of the battery pack equipped with the iX. However, a spokesperson said that the vehicle can increase its range by 75 miles (about 120 kilometers) for every 10 minutes of charging, and it takes less than 40 minutes to charge the battery from 10% to 80%. If an 11kW charging station is used, it will take 11 hours to charge from zero to 100%.

BMW has not announced the expected price of the iX, but considering the positioning of the X5 (starting price in the United States is $59,400), the price of this BMW electric flagship will probably not be less than $70,000.

In addition to the lack of key information such as price, there is also no information on what level the car's autonomous driving capabilities have been "trained". When BMW launched the iNEXT concept car in 2019, it also hinted that the car could achieve Level 3 autonomous driving.

Regarding the blankness of some functional data, a BMW spokesperson said: "It is too early to respond to questions about prices or specifications."

At the same time, it may be a wise decision to hide information related to autonomous driving in promotional videos or media materials. After all, there are too many legal and regulatory troubles surrounding Level 3.

But what is certain is that radar, camera and other sensors are integrated into the fully enclosed double kidney grille in front of the car. Moreover, the number of sensors has doubled compared to before, the system computing power is 20 times that of before, and more 5G and V2X functions will be integrated. The vehicle can also use more advanced auxiliary systems.

According to previous news, if it can pass the legal and regulatory hurdle, the iX will be equipped with a Level 3 system jointly developed with Mobileye and FCA in the future. In addition to cameras and radars, the vehicle will also use LiDAR from Innoviz, and support fully automatic driving on expressways below 37 miles/hour (60 kilometers/hour) (no need to hold the steering wheel or pay attention to road conditions).

Compared with current BMW models, the iX no longer has the traditional upright central control screen and independent instrument panel. Instead, it has a new integrated curved large screen (12.3-inch LCD instrument combined with a 14.9-inch central control screen). Compared with other manufacturers who are trying hard to show off their sense of technology, BMW is still quite restrained.

This screen can control all functions of the vehicle and is tilted toward the driver's seat. Based on the anti-glare design, it will not affect the use even in scenes with strong light, and it supports touch and voice interaction.

The double-spoke hexagonal steering wheel is also the first design used by BMW, which is inspired by the racing steering wheel. The upper and lower ends of the steering wheel are flat, and the rounded corners on the side improve the grip comfort.

In general, the interior space of iX borrows the minimalist style advocated by Tesla, but is full of the charm of luxury brands. Adrian Van Hooydonk calls it the LOFT style on wheels. One of the manifestations is that the number of physical buttons has been reduced by about 50% , and some of the physical buttons that are retained are even made of crystal material.

This also represents, to a certain extent, BMW's design concept for future vehicles - insisting on using buttons for necessary functions.

Adrian Van Hooydonk said that with the advent of the iX, the concept of Shy Tech (invisible innovative technology) also came into being, that is, some functions are hidden invisibly. In addition to the iX embedded door handles mentioned above, there are also windshield washer fluid filling ports hidden under the BMW logo on the hood, rearview cameras integrated into the BMW logo on the tailgate, and so on.

As electrification becomes the general trend, traditional car companies are also striving to catch up, investing real money in a race against time.

At present, among the three major German luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz's first pure electric model EQC and Audi's first pure electric model e-tron have been launched in China, and BMW's competing model iX3 has also joined the list. However, these are far from enough, and each brand is also looking for new breakthroughs.

As early as the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW announced that it would fully promote the electrification of automobiles and the transformation of future travel:

• Cumulative sales of electrified vehicles will exceed 1 million by 2021;

• Launch 25 new energy vehicle models by 2023, including 12 plug-in hybrid models and 13 pure electric models;

• By 2025, the BMW Group's research and development investments will reach 3 billion euros.

Now, with the launch of BMW's revolutionary iX, the above timetable has also ushered in new progress: in the second half of next year, the iX will be officially put into production at BMW's Dingolfing plant in southern Bavaria, and will be officially launched in the US market in early 2022. The modular and scalable corresponding technologies it adopts will also be gradually applied to other future models of BMW.

As the most concerned issue for users, the cruising range of the BMW iX under the WTLP standard of over 600 kilometers seems not bad, but the experience of autonomous driving is also the key to successfully opening up the market. BMW has realized this.

New Intelligent Driving learned that BMW is building its own driving simulation center, including 14 simulators and a 14,000-square-meter laboratory, which provides simulation tools for vehicle development from the early concept stage to the final functional verification stage. The new generation of autonomous driving and driving assistance systems of the BMW iX are also being developed here.

BMW is not without advantages in the competition in the new energy vehicle market. In addition to its control over manufacturing and supply chain, BMW also has a large user base of internal combustion engines, which is something that Tesla and new car-making forces do not have.

Moreover, BMW has revealed to the outside world its strong desire for transformation - using a single "X" as the suffix of the model is enough to reflect this. Looking at the naming methods of brands in various fields in recent years, "X" often represents a huge innovation.

BMW's obsession with electrification also extends to motorcycles.

As an important part of the NEXT GEN family, the information of BMW's near-production electric concept motorcycle Motorrad Definition CE 04 has been further disclosed. It is reported that the new car is based on the "connected life" research and development concept to create a new solution for future urban travel of motorcycles.

Another concept car, MINI, will demonstrate the philosophy of "creative use of space" and combine autonomous driving to show a new travel experience in the future. Its mystery will be unveiled next week.

From any perspective, BMW's electric army will be deployed in large numbers in the next few years.

Moreover, current news shows that BMW is developing pure electric versions of the 5 Series and 7 Series, as well as the entry-level SUV X1. Earlier this year, the iX3 was also officially unveiled (equipped with a 74 kWh battery pack). This means that almost all of the German luxury car manufacturers' popular models will have electric versions.

For example, test cars of the electric version of the 3 Series have been seen, and the upcoming i4 will be included in the 4 Series product line in the future (also using the big nose design language).

As to whether the flagship electric product iX SUV can meet the expectations of the BMW Group and thus change the rules and open up the market, it remains to be verified by time.